Columnists from ImpactWrestling.com
AS I SEE IT 2/82/8/2010 - AS I SEE IT Bob Magee Pro Wrestling: Between the Sheets PWBTS.com There are actually people upset over Vince McMahon \"making the announcement to end ECW\" this past Tuesday night. If you\'re a fan of the WWE TV show that airs on Tuesday night, sorry you\'re upset. it\'s not just fans, but has even been suggested that McMahon\'s decision is the reason that Tommy Dreamer left WWE. But for all of you who don\'t realize it, ECW died in 2001 when Paul Heyman ran out of money. For for anyone who was there in person for the real ECW or has seen tapes and DVDs, the WWE TV show that aired on Tuesday nights never was ECW...or even anything remotely close. It\'s sort of ironic that the original ECW first aired on Tuesday nights, on SportsChannel Philadelphia at 6:00 pm. I wish a lot more people could have seen the real thing, rather than edited versions on WWE Classics. Some people online didn\'t like my continued references to the Tuesday night show as \"WWECW\". What did they want me to call it? It wasn\'t ECW. It wasn\'t even a low-rent version of WWE. It wasn\'t even what WWE claimed it would be. Just because Vince McMahon owned the rights to the intellectual property called \"ECW\" didn\'t mean what he showed on TV looked like anything Paul Heyman would have shown on TV or at the Bingo Hall....or even an updated version of it. I don\'t mean that McMahon should have used talent like Sabu, Sandman, or Balls Mahoney on top for much more than the very beginning as ECW as an attraction to original ECW fans, but the fact that young or new talent wasn\'t featured in the way that the original ECW did. Along with not using original talent, WWE killed a lot of interest by not using good young current talent, and instead came up with crap like vampires, witches, zombies and an alien to pacify SciFi Network executives. In the end, the Tuesday night show was little more than a WWE Velocity on SyFy.. The rebranded Tuesday night promotion is to be called NXT. It\'s the kind of branding that WWE should have used in the first place. NXT is being portrayed as the \"next generation\" of WWE, with young talent...essentially a nationally televised semi-developmental brand to be featured, with a few experienced names that haven\'t been used on Raw or Smackdown recently. Now let\'s see if WWE does what it says it will do with it, or panics the first time that ratings go down and makes it Smackdown v 2.0. I hope one thing that happens with this rebranding is a way in which wrestlers like Bryan Danielson and Low Ki can be used...and used the right way. When Vince McMahon finally took a chance on presenting a unque character and didn\'t stuck fans with one more standard issue WWE formula wrestler and let CM Punk be CM Punk, it worked pretty well. It can work well for Danielson and Low Ki as well. I hope McMahon lets someone like Danielson, a character who actually uses submissions and brags about being \"best in the world\" actually use the gimmick people know Danielson for using. Same thing with Low Ki. I mean, how hard it is to present his character as a cocky little guy who backs up what he talks by pounding on...or choking out...or submitting someone who\'s bigger and fits the WWE stereotypical character? You also have to let these smaller and more athletic guys go over. TNA did it for a little while, until they brought in big, older names and started using their X-Division as cannon fodder for the Kevin Nash\'s of the world. Using smaller, talented workers would also help in contrasting the bigger workers with the smaller workers...making the bigger workers look bigger, rather than the same size as every other wrestler WWE uses; thus losing their main advantage, being big. Finally, and more importantly, a reminder about how you can help the people of Haiti: The CZW-affiliated Maven Bentley Association will hold a show on March 21 (3:00 pm belltime) at the Park Avenue Banquet Hall, located at 4249 Parkside Avenue in Philadelphia. For information on the venue, go to the Park Avenue Banquet Hall website Directions are linked through Mapquest Wrestling website Diva Dirt is continuing the effort to put together a friendly competition among wrestlers on Twitter to raise money for the people of Haiti which was struck by a tragic earthquake earlier this week. As part of the competition, they ask all wrestlers to tweet to their followers to send a donation via PayPal to Wrestlers4Haiti@gmail.com. How to pledge via PayPal: 1. Log in to your Paypal account or sign up for one. 2. Click on the \"Send Money\" tab. 3. Type Wrestlers4Haiti@gmail.com in the \"To\" field and enter your pledge amount into the \"Amount\" field. 4. Choose how you wish to send the payment [it\'s advised to send it as \'personal\' and \'gift]. 5. On the confirmation screen, you will see \"Email to recipient\"\" which shows something similar to the image below. In the \"Message\" field type in the name of the wrestler who you are pledging in support of. As you can see in the example below, the pledge is in support of Awesome Kong. 6. Click \"Send Money\" to send your payment! All pledges will be sent to the American Red Cross Haiti emergency appeal fund. Please spread the word to your favourite wrestler on Twitter and ask them to get involved! WWE is asking its fans to support relief efforts through AmericCares at this link You can also donate to these well-known charitable organizations: UNICEF\'s website The Clinton-Bush Haiti fund American Red Cross International Response Fund Doctors Without Borders The following organizations are accepting SMS donations in the US only: SMS text \"HAITI\" to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts SMS text \"YELE\" to 501501 to Donate $5 to Yele Haiti\'s Earthquake Relief efforts SMS text \"GIVE10\" to 20222 to donate $10 to Direct Relief Until next time... If you have comments/questions/event announcements/results, if you\'d like to add the AS I SEE IT column to your website, or if you\'d like to add advertising on PWBTS.com (the flagship website of this column), e-mail me at the address above. Advertising consists of banner ads, available for $400 for one year. These ads would appear on each newspage appearing on the newsboard. Cube ads are also available for $200 for one year, which would be placed on the main newsboard page.
Some people online didn\'t like my continued references to the Tuesday night show as \"WWECW\". What did they want me to call it? It wasn\'t ECW. It wasn\'t even a low-rent version of WWE. It wasn\'t even what WWE claimed it would be. Just because Vince McMahon owned the rights to the intellectual property called \"ECW\" didn\'t mean what he showed on TV looked like anything Paul Heyman would have shown on TV or at the Bingo Hall....or even an updated version of it.
I don\'t mean that McMahon should have used talent like Sabu, Sandman, or Balls Mahoney on top for much more than the very beginning as ECW as an attraction to original ECW fans, but the fact that young or new talent wasn\'t featured in the way that the original ECW did. Along with not using original talent, WWE killed a lot of interest by not using good young current talent, and instead came up with crap like vampires, witches, zombies and an alien to pacify SciFi Network executives. In the end, the Tuesday night show was little more than a WWE Velocity on SyFy..
The rebranded Tuesday night promotion is to be called NXT. It\'s the kind of branding that WWE should have used in the first place. NXT is being portrayed as the \"next generation\" of WWE, with young talent...essentially a nationally televised semi-developmental brand to be featured, with a few experienced names that haven\'t been used on Raw or Smackdown recently. Now let\'s see if WWE does what it says it will do with it, or panics the first time that ratings go down and makes it Smackdown v 2.0.
I hope one thing that happens with this rebranding is a way in which wrestlers like Bryan Danielson and Low Ki can be used...and used the right way. When Vince McMahon finally took a chance on presenting a unque character and didn\'t stuck fans with one more standard issue WWE formula wrestler and let CM Punk be CM Punk, it worked pretty well. It can work well for Danielson and Low Ki as well. I hope McMahon lets someone like Danielson, a character who actually uses submissions and brags about being \"best in the world\" actually use the gimmick people know Danielson for using. Same thing with Low Ki. I mean, how hard it is to present his character as a cocky little guy who backs up what he talks by pounding on...or choking out...or submitting someone who\'s bigger and fits the WWE stereotypical character?
You also have to let these smaller and more athletic guys go over. TNA did it for a little while, until they brought in big, older names and started using their X-Division as cannon fodder for the Kevin Nash\'s of the world.
Using smaller, talented workers would also help in contrasting the bigger workers with the smaller workers...making the bigger workers look bigger, rather than the same size as every other wrestler WWE uses; thus losing their main advantage, being big.
Finally, and more importantly, a reminder about how you can help the people of Haiti:
The CZW-affiliated Maven Bentley Association will hold a show on March 21 (3:00 pm belltime) at the Park Avenue Banquet Hall, located at 4249 Parkside Avenue in Philadelphia. For information on the venue, go to the Park Avenue Banquet Hall website Directions are linked through Mapquest
Wrestling website Diva Dirt is continuing the effort to put together a friendly competition among wrestlers on Twitter to raise money for the people of Haiti which was struck by a tragic earthquake earlier this week. As part of the competition, they ask all wrestlers to tweet to their followers to send a donation via PayPal to Wrestlers4Haiti@gmail.com.
How to pledge via PayPal:
1. Log in to your Paypal account or sign up for one. 2. Click on the \"Send Money\" tab. 3. Type Wrestlers4Haiti@gmail.com in the \"To\" field and enter your pledge amount into the \"Amount\" field. 4. Choose how you wish to send the payment [it\'s advised to send it as \'personal\' and \'gift]. 5. On the confirmation screen, you will see \"Email to recipient\"\" which shows something similar to the image below. In the \"Message\" field type in the name of the wrestler who you are pledging in support of. As you can see in the example below, the pledge is in support of Awesome Kong. 6. Click \"Send Money\" to send your payment!
All pledges will be sent to the American Red Cross Haiti emergency appeal fund. Please spread the word to your favourite wrestler on Twitter and ask them to get involved!
WWE is asking its fans to support relief efforts through AmericCares at this link
You can also donate to these well-known charitable organizations:
The following organizations are accepting SMS donations in the US only:
Until next time...
If you have comments/questions/event announcements/results, if you\'d like to add the AS I SEE IT column to your website, or if you\'d like to add advertising on PWBTS.com (the flagship website of this column), e-mail me at the address above. Advertising consists of banner ads, available for $400 for one year. These ads would appear on each newspage appearing on the newsboard. Cube ads are also available for $200 for one year, which would be placed on the main newsboard page.
AS I SEE IT 2/12/1/2010 - AS I SEE IT Bob Magee Pro Wrestling: Between the Sheets PWBTS.com I know it\'s still winter, but it\'s worth thinking about spring. No, not just for Wrestlemania, plus the Wrestlemania weekend events as well as the competing Dragon Gate USA and Ring of Honor shows (and after this past weekend, competing is the operative word). Late April brings CHIKARA Pro\'s annual King of Trios tournament...for three days at the ECW Arena. Billed as \"the biggest pro-wrestling tournament in the world\", 48 wrestlers/16 trios from around the globe are coming together for King of Trios 2010 from April 23-25. All 16 trios will be in matches the first night of the tournament,Friday, April 23. The surviving eight teams advance into Night 2, Saturday, April 24,and the 4 remaining teams will face off until just one remains on Sunday afternoon, April 25. As the participants are confirmed for the tournament, you\'ll see them listed on this very page. There will also be non-tournament matches featuring wrestlers eliminated from King of Trios on April 24/April 25.. Tickets Tickets for King of Trios 2010 are now on on sale. All seats are $20. Tickets are available online at the CHIKARA US online store, CHIKARA CHIKARA online store, or at CHIKARA events. Teams Teams announced thus far: The UnStable (Colin Delaney, Vin Gerard, and STIGNA) Team F.I.S.T (Gran Akuma, Chuck Taylor, and Icarus) The Colony (Fire Ant, Soldier Ant and Green Ant) Team Frightening (Mike Quackenbush, Hallowicked, and Frightmare) Directions Directions from I-95 north (New York/New England/Central New Jersey) - Take 95 South to Exit 19 (Front Street exit) - Make left at light (Front Street) - Go to next light (Oregon Avenue) make right - Go under 95 underpass and make first left (Swanson Street) - Follow Swanson St. 3 blocks to Ritner St. - Make left at Ritner &the ECW Arenais on the corner Directions from I-95 south (Delaware/Maryland) - Take I-95 North to Exit 20 (Washington Avenue) - Make right at light (Columbus Boulevard) (Staples is on the right side) - Stay on Columbus to fourthh light which is Snyder Avenue and make right (Bank of America is on corner) - Go to second stop sign (Swanson Street) and make left (Boston Market on corner) - Take Swanson Street south 3 blocks to Ritner Street -the ECW Arenais on the corner of Ritner and Swanson Directions via I-76 east (Schuykill Expressway) - Take last exit (before Walt Whitman Bridge) exit to Packer Avenue - At light make left (Holiday Inn across the street) - Take Packer Avenue to end and at light (Front Street) make left - Go to second light (Oregon Avenue) and make right - Go under I-95 underpass and make first left (Swanson Street) - Follow Swanson Street 3 blocks to Ritner Street - Make left at Ritner Street - The ECW Arena is on the corner Transportation: For those staying at hotels in the Philadelphia area, you can call any one of the companies on this link to get a lift to the ECW Arena. Remember, the Arena is at the corner of Swanson and Ritner in South Philadelphia. For the purposes of some cab drivers who may not be familiar with the corner (see map below), you may wish to tell them to look for the Forman Mills store (a block from the ECW Arena), painted yellow on the outside. For those choosing public transportation, Philadelphia\'s SEPTA has bus and subway service that will take you to the ECW Arena. Anyone staying in center city Philadelphia, or points north, can get to the Arena using the Broad Street Subway (exit at Snyder Avenue Station). You will need to come to street level, buy a transfer, and take the 79 bus eastbound towards Front Street. From there, take a RIGHT, just past the I-95 viaduct; and walk down to Swanson Street. Take a LEFT and walk two blocks, as seen on this link (Adobe Acrobat required). You can also take the Broad Street Subway to the Oregon Avenue stop. You will need to come to street level, buy a transfer, and take the G bus eastbound to Front Street. From there, take a LEFT, and walk down to Swanson Street. Take a RIGHT and walk one block, just past the I-95 viaduct; as seen on this map (Adobe Acrobat required). Hotel: For those coming to the area for King of Trios weekend in need of a place to stay, we recommend the Philadelphia Airport Marriott. The hotel is connected directly to the Philadelphia International Airport, and is located just over 10 miles from the ECW Arena, which makes for a short cab ride to and from King of Trios. You can call 1-800-682-4087 to make reservations and book your room. You may be able to find discounted room rates through online websites, but Marriott locations near airports rarely show much deviation from the established prices. The second floor of the hotel connects directly to Terminal B of the airport, so you do not need transportation to get there. Transportation: As stated above, the Philadelphia Airport Marriott is located just over 10 miles from the ECW Arena, accessible via a short cab ride. You will be able to arrange a rental car, or have the Marriott front desk call you a taxi cab. Again, remember, the Arena is at the corner of Swanson and Ritner in South Philadelphia. For the purposes of some cab drivers who may not be familiar with the corner (see map below), you may wish to tell them to look for the Forman Mills store (a block from the ECW Arena), painted yellow on the outside. Parking: The ECW Arena has a fenced-in parking lot behind the facility. You can park there free of charge, but you will not be able to enter through the rear of the building. There is also parking around front where the main entrance and the blowing garbage is typically found. There is also an entrance directly across the street from the parking lot of the Arena. That wil llikely be open as well Admission: CHIKARA tends to open the doors to the general public about 30 minutes prior to belltime. For events like this, you can expect to see a line forming even before that, even in the worst weather. Those holding an official CHIKARMY membership card will be allowed in 15 minutes prior to the \"official\" opening of the doors. It will be possible to buy tickets at the door the day of the event(s), at no extra charge. Food: The Arena has a concession stand open during the shows with basic food and drink items, including pulled pork sandwiches, pretzels, soda, water, beer, and muffins. Other restaurants within a short walk for pre-show and post-show meals include the Oregon Diner, Tony Luke\'s cheesesteak stand (and the Tony Luke\'s Beef and Beer sports bar across the street), as well as McDonald\'s, KFC, and Dunkin Donuts are located about 3 blocks away from the Arena on Oregon Avenue. Slightly farther away on 330 West Oregon Avenue is the Empire Buffet with many Chinese, seafood (and some American) items [EDITOR\'S NOTE: my personal favorite for pre-ECW Arena dinner]. There are neighborhood bars, including Nickel\'s Tavern, a favorite for some wrestling fans, inbetween the Empire Buffet and the Arena. 2 blocks NORTH of the Arena on Snyder Avenue are several restaurants, including John\'s Roast Pork (reported as the best pork sandwich in Philadelphia), a Boston Market, and City Pizza. Finally, and more importantly, a reminder about how you can help the people of Haiti: Wrestling website Diva Dirt is continuing the effort to put together a friendly competition among wrestlers on Twitter to raise money for the people of Haiti which was struck by a tragic earthquake earlier this week. As part of the competition, they ask all wrestlers to tweet to their followers to send a donation via PayPal to Wrestlers4Haiti@gmail.com. How to pledge via PayPal: 1. Log in to your Paypal account or sign up for one. 2. Click on the \"Send Money\" tab. 3. Type Wrestlers4Haiti@gmail.com in the \"To\" field and enter your pledge amount into the \"Amount\" field. 4. Choose how you wish to send the payment [it\'s advised to send it as \'personal\' and \'gift]. 5. On the confirmation screen, you will see \"Email to recipient\"\" which shows something similar to the image below. In the \"Message\" field type in the name of the wrestler who you are pledging in support of. As you can see in the example below, the pledge is in support of Awesome Kong. 6. Click \"Send Money\" to send your payment! All pledges will be sent to the American Red Cross Haiti emergency appeal fund. Please spread the word to your favourite wrestler on Twitter and ask them to get involved! WWE is asking its fans to support relief efforts through AmericCares with the following statement: By now, most of you are aware of the devastating 7.0 earthquake that hit 10 miles Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The devastation has been significant, with estimates of more than 3 million people impacted by the disaster. Emergency response teams have entered Haiti to start the recovery effort and provide needed medical relief to people affected by the earthquake. Among those responding is AmeriCares, which is sending $5 million worth of medical aid to survivors. Medicines and supplies are critically needed in Haiti right n...
Late April brings CHIKARA Pro\'s annual King of Trios tournament...for three days at the ECW Arena. Billed as \"the biggest pro-wrestling tournament in the world\", 48 wrestlers/16 trios from around the globe are coming together for King of Trios 2010 from April 23-25.
All 16 trios will be in matches the first night of the tournament,Friday, April 23. The surviving eight teams advance into Night 2, Saturday, April 24,and the 4 remaining teams will face off until just one remains on Sunday afternoon, April 25. As the participants are confirmed for the tournament, you\'ll see them listed on this very page. There will also be non-tournament matches featuring wrestlers eliminated from King of Trios on April 24/April 25..
Tickets
Tickets for King of Trios 2010 are now on on sale. All seats are $20.
Tickets are available online at the CHIKARA US online store, CHIKARA CHIKARA online store, or at CHIKARA events.
Teams
Teams announced thus far:
Directions
Directions from I-95 north (New York/New England/Central New Jersey) - Take 95 South to Exit 19 (Front Street exit) - Make left at light (Front Street) - Go to next light (Oregon Avenue) make right - Go under 95 underpass and make first left (Swanson Street) - Follow Swanson St. 3 blocks to Ritner St. - Make left at Ritner &the ECW Arenais on the corner
Directions from I-95 south (Delaware/Maryland) - Take I-95 North to Exit 20 (Washington Avenue) - Make right at light (Columbus Boulevard) (Staples is on the right side) - Stay on Columbus to fourthh light which is Snyder Avenue and make right (Bank of America is on corner) - Go to second stop sign (Swanson Street) and make left (Boston Market on corner) - Take Swanson Street south 3 blocks to Ritner Street -the ECW Arenais on the corner of Ritner and Swanson
Directions via I-76 east (Schuykill Expressway) - Take last exit (before Walt Whitman Bridge) exit to Packer Avenue - At light make left (Holiday Inn across the street) - Take Packer Avenue to end and at light (Front Street) make left - Go to second light (Oregon Avenue) and make right - Go under I-95 underpass and make first left (Swanson Street) - Follow Swanson Street 3 blocks to Ritner Street - Make left at Ritner Street - The ECW Arena is on the corner
Transportation: For those staying at hotels in the Philadelphia area, you can call any one of the companies on this link to get a lift to the ECW Arena. Remember, the Arena is at the corner of Swanson and Ritner in South Philadelphia. For the purposes of some cab drivers who may not be familiar with the corner (see map below), you may wish to tell them to look for the Forman Mills store (a block from the ECW Arena), painted yellow on the outside.
For those choosing public transportation, Philadelphia\'s SEPTA has bus and subway service that will take you to the ECW Arena. Anyone staying in center city Philadelphia, or points north, can get to the Arena using the Broad Street Subway (exit at Snyder Avenue Station). You will need to come to street level, buy a transfer, and take the 79 bus eastbound towards Front Street. From there, take a RIGHT, just past the I-95 viaduct; and walk down to Swanson Street. Take a LEFT and walk two blocks, as seen on this link (Adobe Acrobat required).
You can also take the Broad Street Subway to the Oregon Avenue stop. You will need to come to street level, buy a transfer, and take the G bus eastbound to Front Street. From there, take a LEFT, and walk down to Swanson Street. Take a RIGHT and walk one block, just past the I-95 viaduct; as seen on this map (Adobe Acrobat required).
Hotel: For those coming to the area for King of Trios weekend in need of a place to stay, we recommend the Philadelphia Airport Marriott. The hotel is connected directly to the Philadelphia International Airport, and is located just over 10 miles from the ECW Arena, which makes for a short cab ride to and from King of Trios. You can call 1-800-682-4087 to make reservations and book your room. You may be able to find discounted room rates through online websites, but Marriott locations near airports rarely show much deviation from the established prices. The second floor of the hotel connects directly to Terminal B of the airport, so you do not need transportation to get there.
Transportation: As stated above, the Philadelphia Airport Marriott is located just over 10 miles from the ECW Arena, accessible via a short cab ride. You will be able to arrange a rental car, or have the Marriott front desk call you a taxi cab. Again, remember, the Arena is at the corner of Swanson and Ritner in South Philadelphia. For the purposes of some cab drivers who may not be familiar with the corner (see map below), you may wish to tell them to look for the Forman Mills store (a block from the ECW Arena), painted yellow on the outside.
Parking: The ECW Arena has a fenced-in parking lot behind the facility. You can park there free of charge, but you will not be able to enter through the rear of the building. There is also parking around front where the main entrance and the blowing garbage is typically found. There is also an entrance directly across the street from the parking lot of the Arena. That wil llikely be open as well
Admission: CHIKARA tends to open the doors to the general public about 30 minutes prior to belltime. For events like this, you can expect to see a line forming even before that, even in the worst weather. Those holding an official CHIKARMY membership card will be allowed in 15 minutes prior to the \"official\" opening of the doors. It will be possible to buy tickets at the door the day of the event(s), at no extra charge.
Food: The Arena has a concession stand open during the shows with basic food and drink items, including pulled pork sandwiches, pretzels, soda, water, beer, and muffins. Other restaurants within a short walk for pre-show and post-show meals include the Oregon Diner, Tony Luke\'s cheesesteak stand (and the Tony Luke\'s Beef and Beer sports bar across the street), as well as McDonald\'s, KFC, and Dunkin Donuts are located about 3 blocks away from the Arena on Oregon Avenue.
Slightly farther away on 330 West Oregon Avenue is the Empire Buffet with many Chinese, seafood (and some American) items [EDITOR\'S NOTE: my personal favorite for pre-ECW Arena dinner]. There are neighborhood bars, including Nickel\'s Tavern, a favorite for some wrestling fans, inbetween the Empire Buffet and the Arena.
2 blocks NORTH of the Arena on Snyder Avenue are several restaurants, including John\'s Roast Pork (reported as the best pork sandwich in Philadelphia), a Boston Market, and City Pizza.
WWE is asking its fans to support relief efforts through AmericCares with the following statement:
By now, most of you are aware of the devastating 7.0 earthquake that hit 10 miles Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The devastation has been significant, with estimates of more than 3 million people impacted by the disaster. Emergency response teams have entered Haiti to start the recovery effort and provide needed medical relief to people affected by the earthquake. Among those responding is AmeriCares, which is sending $5 million worth of medical aid to survivors. Medicines and supplies are critically needed in Haiti right n...
AS I SEE IT 1/251/25/2010 - AS I SEE IT Bob Magee Pro Wrestling: Between the Sheets PWBTS.com All I have to say after viewing TNA\'s Genesis PPV...and then hearing about certain events that took place the next day, is \"what in the $#@& were you thinking\"? This started when the crowd was pissed about the change to the conventional wrestling ring from the six-sided ring. As all heard who watched the PPV (but was conveniently edited out in the replay), the crowd booed and chanted \"we want six-sides\". Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan basically told the crowd \"we don\'t care what you think\" and referred to the six-sided ring as a \"playpen\". Brilliant..you\'re a wrestling promotion, and you have something that makes you separate and distinct among US promotions (yes, I know they stole the idea from AAA in Mexico) and not just a copy of WWE...and you get rid of it; and tell your promotion\'s fans \"screw you\" in one fell swoop. So the crowd did the only thing possible when a promoter gets in their face and gives them something they don\'t want. They responded by sitting on their hands for the remainder of the show, with the possible exception among some during the main event. It got so bad at one point that some front row fans even turned their backs after Sean \"Val Venis\" Morley was put over Christopher Daniels. Yup...way to put TNA over as better than WWE...by putting a WWE mid-card wrestler over one of the the hallmark wrestlers of your promotion\'s history and one of the top independent wrestlers of the last decade. Then TNA had have a great main event with the two top wrestlers in your promotion...a match that many people who bought the PPV were waiting for through two hours of Hulkacrap...only to cheapen it with a screwjob finish. Then the next night, in one of the more outrageous crowd moments I\'ve ever heard of...TNA\'s director told the crowd \"since you\'re not paying for tickets, you\'re a cast member\" and their \"job is not to get in the way\". They were told no profanity (\"bullshit\" being the operative word). They were also told in an implied way that if they booed babyfaces, they might get thrown out. While being lectured, some people apparently yelled from the crowd \"Where\'s my check?\" and \"this is why we don\'t watch WWE\". I\'m waiting for a wrestling fan who attended the shows to demand SAG membership. It might be funny to watch TNA\'s explanation if someone actually did it just to make a point. Even more likely, I\'ll be curious what will happen if a large portion of a taping challenges TNA after some really crappy match result. The Orlando crowd has already tested it at this past week\'s tapings with heckling AJ Styles after Ric Flair came out with him and tried doing the \"kid-stealing, wheel-dealing\" heel ladykiller bit with Styles; chanting \"You are married\". Pretty tough to get your new heel over as a ladykiller when he wears his wedding ring around his neck (and you can bet that\'s not changing). So...is TNA going to throw out a few dozen fans? Not if they have any sense, they won\'t. Because they\'ll have an even bigger problem If I were a regular, I\'d show up with a beachball and making seal noises...because it\'s pretty clear that\'s all TNA wants and will allow. That, and ask where the grape Kool-Aid concession is at Universal. Dave Meltzer reported that TNA\'s gone so far as to pipe in fake crowd sound so they could get the \"right\" sound...which apparently sounded really tinny. Anyone remember the days of Vince McMahon doing it with Hogan in his WWF days? Yup...it sopunded like crap back then, too. Loud cheers when fans are sitting and their lips aren\'t moving look pretty obvious, even to the most casual fan. I\'d love to see TNA try taping TV in Philadelphia (TNA IS reported to be running a house show at the ECW Arena later this year) and demand that garbage from ECW Arena fans. I\'d just love to watch some jackass \"director\" come out and demand that ECW Arena fans \"behave\". CHIKARA is the only promotion that tells fans no profanity at the ECW Arena and gets away with it, given that everyone well aware that the promotion marketed as a family friendly promotion from the beginning (although fans do get back at them with \"holy crap\" chants when a big spot would ordinarily get a \"holy shit\" chant. They also get it because they have what is overall an entertaining product and is family-friendly without having to try to be. But even CHIKARA can\'t demand fans pop \"the right way\". Just ask anyone in CHIKARA about the Philadelphia fans feeling masked babyface Lince Dorado was being jammed down their throats at last year\'s King of Trios tournament with the \"The Future is Now\" trio going over early over Team DDT. The fans (who aren\'t typically \"Philly fans\", but many of whom are exclusively CHIKARA fans) basically revolted and crapped all over Dorado\'s trio until the top heel trio, Team F.I.S.T, beat them in a later round and chanted \"Thank you, F.I.S.T\". For that matter, let\'s see TNA try that crap agout telling people to behave at any house shows NOT in Philadelphia. Now that the attempts at producing trained TNA seals has been made public online and in this week\'s Observer, you can bet that some fans will screw with TNA just to get their goat. Look, I understand that the idea is not for wrestling fans to get themselves over at the expense of the workers in the ring. When I\'m at live shows, I don\'t yell crap like \"boring\", and I hate people who do (ask people who sit neear me at shows) and let them know I hate it. But there are times when a match is just so bad, whether in the ring, or the finish is so bad, that you have no other way to make yourself heard then to yewll things that don\'t get over the product. But to outright tell wrestling fans...and they are wrestling fans, not cast members...TNA... is absolute bullshit. Here\'s how TNA can avoid that kind of behavior: give people a good, logically booked product, don\'t insult the fans intelligence, and don\'t ask them to be nothing more than trained seals for your TV show. If you want people to be trained seals, quit pretending you\'re a wrestling promotion, just go ahead and hire extras and pay them SAG wages and benefits and quit any pretense you\'re anything more than a TV show. Finally, and more importantly, a reminder about how you can help the people of Haiti: Wrestling website Diva Dirt is continuing the effort to put together a friendly competition among wrestlers on Twitter to raise money for the people of Haiti which was struck by a tragic earthquake earlier this week. As part of the competition, they ask all wrestlers to tweet to their followers to send a donation via PayPal to Wrestlers4Haiti@gmail.com. How to pledge via PayPal: 1. Log in to your Paypal account or sign up for one. 2. Click on the \"Send Money\" tab. 3. Type Wrestlers4Haiti@gmail.com in the \"To\" field and enter your pledge amount into the \"Amount\" field. 4. Choose how you wish to send the payment [it\'s advised to send it as \'personal\' and \'gift]. 5. On the confirmation screen, you will see \"Email to recipient\"\" which shows something similar to the image below. In the \"Message\" field type in the name of the wrestler who you are pledging in support of. As you can see in the example below, the pledge is in support of Awesome Kong. 6. Click \"Send Money\" to send your payment! All pledges will be sent to the American Red Cross Haiti emergency appeal fund. Please spread the word to your favourite wrestler on Twitter and ask them to get involved! WWE is asking its fans to support relief efforts through AmericCares with the following statement: By now, most of you are aware of the devastating 7.0 earthquake that hit 10 miles Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The devastation has been significant, with estimates of more than 3 million people impacted by the disaster. Emergency response teams have entered Haiti to start the recovery effort and provide needed medical relief to people affected by the earthquake. Among those responding is AmeriCares, which is sending $5 million worth of medical aid to survivors. Medicines and supplies are critically needed in Haiti right now. Emergency response experts from AmeriCares and other agencies are working around-the-clock to get those lifesaving products into the hands of medical personnel treating survivors. Donate to AmeriCares through this link You can also donate to these well-known charitable organizations: UNICEF\'s website The Clinton-Bush Haiti fund American Red Cross International Response Fund Doctors Without Borders The following organizations are accepting SMS donations in the US only: SMS text \"HAITI\" to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts SMS text \"YELE\" to 501501 to Donate $5 to Yele Haiti\'s Earthquake Relief efforts SMS text \"GIVE10\" to 20222 to donate $10 to Direct Relief Until next time... If you have comments/questions/event announcements/results, if you\'d like to add the AS I SEE IT column to your website, or if you\'d like to add advertising on PWBTS.com (the flagship web...
This started when the crowd was pissed about the change to the conventional wrestling ring from the six-sided ring. As all heard who watched the PPV (but was conveniently edited out in the replay), the crowd booed and chanted \"we want six-sides\". Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan basically told the crowd \"we don\'t care what you think\" and referred to the six-sided ring as a \"playpen\". Brilliant..you\'re a wrestling promotion, and you have something that makes you separate and distinct among US promotions (yes, I know they stole the idea from AAA in Mexico) and not just a copy of WWE...and you get rid of it; and tell your promotion\'s fans \"screw you\" in one fell swoop.
So the crowd did the only thing possible when a promoter gets in their face and gives them something they don\'t want. They responded by sitting on their hands for the remainder of the show, with the possible exception among some during the main event.
It got so bad at one point that some front row fans even turned their backs after Sean \"Val Venis\" Morley was put over Christopher Daniels. Yup...way to put TNA over as better than WWE...by putting a WWE mid-card wrestler over one of the the hallmark wrestlers of your promotion\'s history and one of the top independent wrestlers of the last decade.
Then TNA had have a great main event with the two top wrestlers in your promotion...a match that many people who bought the PPV were waiting for through two hours of Hulkacrap...only to cheapen it with a screwjob finish.
Then the next night, in one of the more outrageous crowd moments I\'ve ever heard of...TNA\'s director told the crowd \"since you\'re not paying for tickets, you\'re a cast member\" and their \"job is not to get in the way\". They were told no profanity (\"bullshit\" being the operative word). They were also told in an implied way that if they booed babyfaces, they might get thrown out. While being lectured, some people apparently yelled from the crowd \"Where\'s my check?\" and \"this is why we don\'t watch WWE\".
I\'m waiting for a wrestling fan who attended the shows to demand SAG membership. It might be funny to watch TNA\'s explanation if someone actually did it just to make a point.
Even more likely, I\'ll be curious what will happen if a large portion of a taping challenges TNA after some really crappy match result. The Orlando crowd has already tested it at this past week\'s tapings with heckling AJ Styles after Ric Flair came out with him and tried doing the \"kid-stealing, wheel-dealing\" heel ladykiller bit with Styles; chanting \"You are married\". Pretty tough to get your new heel over as a ladykiller when he wears his wedding ring around his neck (and you can bet that\'s not changing).
So...is TNA going to throw out a few dozen fans? Not if they have any sense, they won\'t. Because they\'ll have an even bigger problem
If I were a regular, I\'d show up with a beachball and making seal noises...because it\'s pretty clear that\'s all TNA wants and will allow. That, and ask where the grape Kool-Aid concession is at Universal. Dave Meltzer reported that TNA\'s gone so far as to pipe in fake crowd sound so they could get the \"right\" sound...which apparently sounded really tinny. Anyone remember the days of Vince McMahon doing it with Hogan in his WWF days? Yup...it sopunded like crap back then, too. Loud cheers when fans are sitting and their lips aren\'t moving look pretty obvious, even to the most casual fan.
I\'d love to see TNA try taping TV in Philadelphia (TNA IS reported to be running a house show at the ECW Arena later this year) and demand that garbage from ECW Arena fans. I\'d just love to watch some jackass \"director\" come out and demand that ECW Arena fans \"behave\".
CHIKARA is the only promotion that tells fans no profanity at the ECW Arena and gets away with it, given that everyone well aware that the promotion marketed as a family friendly promotion from the beginning (although fans do get back at them with \"holy crap\" chants when a big spot would ordinarily get a \"holy shit\" chant. They also get it because they have what is overall an entertaining product and is family-friendly without having to try to be.
But even CHIKARA can\'t demand fans pop \"the right way\". Just ask anyone in CHIKARA about the Philadelphia fans feeling masked babyface Lince Dorado was being jammed down their throats at last year\'s King of Trios tournament with the \"The Future is Now\" trio going over early over Team DDT. The fans (who aren\'t typically \"Philly fans\", but many of whom are exclusively CHIKARA fans) basically revolted and crapped all over Dorado\'s trio until the top heel trio, Team F.I.S.T, beat them in a later round and chanted \"Thank you, F.I.S.T\".
For that matter, let\'s see TNA try that crap agout telling people to behave at any house shows NOT in Philadelphia. Now that the attempts at producing trained TNA seals has been made public online and in this week\'s Observer, you can bet that some fans will screw with TNA just to get their goat.
Look, I understand that the idea is not for wrestling fans to get themselves over at the expense of the workers in the ring. When I\'m at live shows, I don\'t yell crap like \"boring\", and I hate people who do (ask people who sit neear me at shows) and let them know I hate it. But there are times when a match is just so bad, whether in the ring, or the finish is so bad, that you have no other way to make yourself heard then to yewll things that don\'t get over the product. But to outright tell wrestling fans...and they are wrestling fans, not cast members...TNA... is absolute bullshit.
Here\'s how TNA can avoid that kind of behavior: give people a good, logically booked product, don\'t insult the fans intelligence, and don\'t ask them to be nothing more than trained seals for your TV show.
If you want people to be trained seals, quit pretending you\'re a wrestling promotion, just go ahead and hire extras and pay them SAG wages and benefits and quit any pretense you\'re anything more than a TV show.
By now, most of you are aware of the devastating 7.0 earthquake that hit 10 miles Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The devastation has been significant, with estimates of more than 3 million people impacted by the disaster. Emergency response teams have entered Haiti to start the recovery effort and provide needed medical relief to people affected by the earthquake. Among those responding is AmeriCares, which is sending $5 million worth of medical aid to survivors. Medicines and supplies are critically needed in Haiti right now. Emergency response experts from AmeriCares and other agencies are working around-the-clock to get those lifesaving products into the hands of medical personnel treating survivors.
If you have comments/questions/event announcements/results, if you\'d like to add the AS I SEE IT column to your website, or if you\'d like to add advertising on PWBTS.com (the flagship web...
AS I SEE IT 1/181/18/2010 - AS I SEE IT Bob Magee Pro Wrestling: Between the Sheets PWBTS.com There\'s not a person reading the column who hasn\'t seen the news of the disaster in Haiti. As many as 200,000 may be declared died by the time all is said and done. Millions are homeless. The entire infrastructure of Haiti...and the lives of the people in the island nation have been smashed beyond short-term repair. But the world is responding with help...including those within wrestling. Among the first efforts was one organized by TNA talent Awesome Kong who hosted a Haiti fundraising effort following Friday night\'s Reading, PA house show. The fundraising event involved Awesome Kong, the British Invasion, Mick Foley, and the Beautiful People. The effort raised over $2,500 in 24 hours from wrestling fans, then matched by Mick Foley, for a total as of Sunday morning of $5,100. Wrestling website Diva Dirt is continuing the effort to put together a friendly competition among wrestlers on Twitter to raise money for the people of Haiti which was struck by a tragic earthquake earlier this week. As part of the competition, they ask all wrestlers to tweet to their followers to send a donation via PayPal to Wrestlers4Haiti@gmail.com. The wrestler whose followers raise the most amount of money will win the competition and receive a trophy or custom belt! It?s not only a competition for the wrestlers, but for their fans too to show their support for their favourite superstars! Please donate as much as you can or as little as you can, there is no limit ? even $1 can make a difference. How to pledge via PayPal: 1. Log in to your Paypal account or sign up for one. 2. Click on the ?Send Money? tab. 3. Type Wrestlers4Haiti@gmail.com in the ?To? field and enter your pledge amount into the ?Amount? field. 4. Choose how you wish to send the payment [it\'s advised to send it as \'personal\' and \'gift]. 5. On the confirmation screen, you will see ?Email to recipient? which shows something similar to the image below. In the ?Message? field type in the name of the wrestler who you are pledging in support of. As you can see in the example below, the pledge is in support of Awesome Kong. 6. Click ?Send Money? to send your payment! We are looking to raise as much money as possible over the next 24-48 hours so we can cut a check on Monday morning. However, we do hope to keep this ongoing for as long as Haiti is in crisis. All pledges will be sent to the American Red Cross? Haiti emergency appeal fund. Please spread the word to your favourite wrestler on Twitter and ask them to get involved! We need your help to make sure we can raise as much money as possible. On behalf of Kong and the DD team, thank you and please pledge generously. TNA Wrestling itself is asking fans to support the victims of the Haitian earthquake. During the TNA iMPACT! tapings this coming week at Universal Studios Orlando, TNA will encourage attendees to make a financial donation.Funds will be donated to the Central Florida headquarters of the American Red Cross for its International Disaster Relief Fund. ``The photos and video from Haiti are tragic,\'\' TNA President Dixie Carter said in a release. ``We want to help. We have to help. The money raised at The iMPACT! Zone is just a start of TNA\'s plan to help the country of Haiti.\'\' Buckets will be available just inside the entrance to the iMPACT! Zone for financial donations each day of the iMPACT! tapings. WWE is asking its fans to support relief efforts through AmericCares: By now, most of you are aware of the devastating 7.0 earthquake that hit 10 miles Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The devastation has been significant, with estimates of more than 3 million people impacted by the disaster. Emergency response teams have entered Haiti to start the recovery effort and provide needed medical relief to people affected by the earthquake. Among those responding is AmeriCares, which is sending $5 million worth of medical aid to survivors. Medicines and supplies are critically needed in Haiti right now. Emergency response experts from AmeriCares and other agencies are working around-the-clock to get those lifesaving products into the hands of medical personnel treating survivors. Donate to AmeriCares through this link The Florida based Force of Wrestling promotion has also sent out the following: In support of Wyclef Jean, Yele, Haiti and the millions of families and friends being effected by the catastrophic events that happened on Tuesday in Haiti, Force Of Wrestling encourages the wrestling community to help those families in need right now. And give there support to what is a very tough and devastating time in so many families lives in Haiti. It is very easy to donate, you can do so by texting YELE to 501501 or online by CLICKING HERE! If you can not donate money, donate time, pass along all this information to family and friends, use Twitter, Facebook, MySpace! GET THE WORD OUT! The wrestling community is huge, lets come together and help those in need. Read, learn and educate! Statement by Wyclef Jean: \"My commitment to Haiti is a unique and everlasting bond.\" \"I formalized that commitment when I formed my first foundation, in 1994. From that day forward, I have spent tireless hours working on behalf of my homeland on development issues as well as human and immigrant rights. I have been committed to helping the people of Haiti throughout my life, and that commitment will continue until the day I die. It is impossible for me to even comprehend the recent attacks on my character and the integrity of my foundation, Yele Haiti. The fact that these attacks come as we are mobilized to meet the greatest human tragedy in the history of Haiti only serves to perplex me even further. I first learned of these baseless attacks when I left Haiti late Friday, where I had been since 12 hours after the earthquake. Let me be clear: I denounce any allegation that I have ever profited personally through my work with Yele Haiti. These baseless attacks are simply not true. In fact, I have, time and again, committed significant amounts of my own money to support the work of Yele Haiti and other organizations in support of our efforts over the years. More than that, I have spent countless hours, days, months and years of my life committed to the country of Haiti, the people of Haiti and the success of Haiti. These baseless allegations were first put forward by a fringe website with a history of pursuing sensationalist story lines. The mainstream media?s pursuit of them has required Yele to divert precious resources during this critical time in order to answer various inquiries. That must end. I will continue to commit my focus to what is most important right now: Haiti. Right now, Yele is working with its valuable NGO partners, the U.S. Government, the United Nations and so many others to save lives, honor those who have perished and get aid to the millions of Haitians suffering through the worst human catastrophe of our times. I will never give up on my commitment.\" - Wyclef Jean For More Information Click Here! You can also donate to these well-known chaitable organizations: UNICEF\'s website The Clinton-Bush Haiti fund American Red Cross International Response Fund Doctors Without Borders The following organizations are accepting SMS donations in the US only: SMS text ?HAITI? to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts SMS text ?YELE? to 501501 to Donate $5 to Yele Haiti?s Earthquake Relief efforts SMS text \"GIVE10\" to 20222 to donate $10 to Direct Relief But of course, with all this good work...there are those who have to act like assholes in politics, religion, and wrestling. The Baltimore ...
As many as 200,000 may be declared died by the time all is said and done. Millions are homeless. The entire infrastructure of Haiti...and the lives of the people in the island nation have been smashed beyond short-term repair.
But the world is responding with help...including those within wrestling.
Among the first efforts was one organized by TNA talent Awesome Kong who hosted a Haiti fundraising effort following Friday night\'s Reading, PA house show. The fundraising event involved Awesome Kong, the British Invasion, Mick Foley, and the Beautiful People. The effort raised over $2,500 in 24 hours from wrestling fans, then matched by Mick Foley, for a total as of Sunday morning of $5,100.
The wrestler whose followers raise the most amount of money will win the competition and receive a trophy or custom belt! It?s not only a competition for the wrestlers, but for their fans too to show their support for their favourite superstars! Please donate as much as you can or as little as you can, there is no limit ? even $1 can make a difference.
1. Log in to your Paypal account or sign up for one. 2. Click on the ?Send Money? tab. 3. Type Wrestlers4Haiti@gmail.com in the ?To? field and enter your pledge amount into the ?Amount? field. 4. Choose how you wish to send the payment [it\'s advised to send it as \'personal\' and \'gift]. 5. On the confirmation screen, you will see ?Email to recipient? which shows something similar to the image below. In the ?Message? field type in the name of the wrestler who you are pledging in support of. As you can see in the example below, the pledge is in support of Awesome Kong.
6. Click ?Send Money? to send your payment!
We are looking to raise as much money as possible over the next 24-48 hours so we can cut a check on Monday morning. However, we do hope to keep this ongoing for as long as Haiti is in crisis. All pledges will be sent to the American Red Cross? Haiti emergency appeal fund. Please spread the word to your favourite wrestler on Twitter and ask them to get involved! We need your help to make sure we can raise as much money as possible. On behalf of Kong and the DD team, thank you and please pledge generously.
TNA Wrestling itself is asking fans to support the victims of the Haitian earthquake. During the TNA iMPACT! tapings this coming week at Universal Studios Orlando, TNA will encourage attendees to make a financial donation.Funds will be donated to the Central Florida headquarters of the American Red Cross for its International Disaster Relief Fund. ``The photos and video from Haiti are tragic,\'\' TNA President Dixie Carter said in a release. ``We want to help. We have to help. The money raised at The iMPACT! Zone is just a start of TNA\'s plan to help the country of Haiti.\'\' Buckets will be available just inside the entrance to the iMPACT! Zone for financial donations each day of the iMPACT! tapings.
WWE is asking its fans to support relief efforts through AmericCares:
The Florida based Force of Wrestling promotion has also sent out the following:
In support of Wyclef Jean, Yele, Haiti and the millions of families and friends being effected by the catastrophic events that happened on Tuesday in Haiti, Force Of Wrestling encourages the wrestling community to help those families in need right now. And give there support to what is a very tough and devastating time in so many families lives in Haiti.
It is very easy to donate, you can do so by texting YELE to 501501 or online by CLICKING HERE!
If you can not donate money, donate time, pass along all this information to family and friends, use Twitter, Facebook, MySpace! GET THE WORD OUT! The wrestling community is huge, lets come together and help those in need. Read, learn and educate!
Statement by Wyclef Jean:
\"My commitment to Haiti is a unique and everlasting bond.\" \"I formalized that commitment when I formed my first foundation, in 1994. From that day forward, I have spent tireless hours working on behalf of my homeland on development issues as well as human and immigrant rights. I have been committed to helping the people of Haiti throughout my life, and that commitment will continue until the day I die. It is impossible for me to even comprehend the recent attacks on my character and the integrity of my foundation, Yele Haiti. The fact that these attacks come as we are mobilized to meet the greatest human tragedy in the history of Haiti only serves to perplex me even further. I first learned of these baseless attacks when I left Haiti late Friday, where I had been since 12 hours after the earthquake. Let me be clear: I denounce any allegation that I have ever profited personally through my work with Yele Haiti. These baseless attacks are simply not true. In fact, I have, time and again, committed significant amounts of my own money to support the work of Yele Haiti and other organizations in support of our efforts over the years. More than that, I have spent countless hours, days, months and years of my life committed to the country of Haiti, the people of Haiti and the success of Haiti. These baseless allegations were first put forward by a fringe website with a history of pursuing sensationalist story lines. The mainstream media?s pursuit of them has required Yele to divert precious resources during this critical time in order to answer various inquiries. That must end. I will continue to commit my focus to what is most important right now: Haiti. Right now, Yele is working with its valuable NGO partners, the U.S. Government, the United Nations and so many others to save lives, honor those who have perished and get aid to the millions of Haitians suffering through the worst human catastrophe of our times. I will never give up on my commitment.\" - Wyclef Jean
\"I formalized that commitment when I formed my first foundation, in 1994. From that day forward, I have spent tireless hours working on behalf of my homeland on development issues as well as human and immigrant rights. I have been committed to helping the people of Haiti throughout my life, and that commitment will continue until the day I die.
It is impossible for me to even comprehend the recent attacks on my character and the integrity of my foundation, Yele Haiti. The fact that these attacks come as we are mobilized to meet the greatest human tragedy in the history of Haiti only serves to perplex me even further. I first learned of these baseless attacks when I left Haiti late Friday, where I had been since 12 hours after the earthquake.
Let me be clear: I denounce any allegation that I have ever profited personally through my work with Yele Haiti. These baseless attacks are simply not true. In fact, I have, time and again, committed significant amounts of my own money to support the work of Yele Haiti and other organizations in support of our efforts over the years.
More than that, I have spent countless hours, days, months and years of my life committed to the country of Haiti, the people of Haiti and the success of Haiti. These baseless allegations were first put forward by a fringe website with a history of pursuing sensationalist story lines. The mainstream media?s pursuit of them has required Yele to divert precious resources during this critical time in order to answer various inquiries. That must end.
I will continue to commit my focus to what is most important right now: Haiti. Right now, Yele is working with its valuable NGO partners, the U.S. Government, the United Nations and so many others to save lives, honor those who have perished and get aid to the millions of Haitians suffering through the worst human catastrophe of our times. I will never give up on my commitment.\"
- Wyclef Jean
You can also donate to these well-known chaitable organizations:
But of course, with all this good work...there are those who have to act like assholes in politics, religion, and wrestling.
The Baltimore ...
AS I SEE IT 1/111/11/2010 - AS I SEE IT Bob Magee Pro Wrestling: Between the Sheets PWBTS.com It\'s been a really long time since I had a wrestling choice on a Monday night (before I get sent e-mails from ROH fans, remember Comcast cable doesn\'t carry HDNet... so those of us in the Philadelphia/South Jersey region are left without the shows, unless we go to bootleg online streams). But we did this past Monday. Calling it a \"Monday Night War\" is pushing it...as of yet... but at the very least, people had a choice. From various ratings analysis, both WWE and TNA got fans in desirable demographics that haven\'t been watching wrestling in some time. The positives: New fans got to see AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle in their usual tremendous match....and Hogan actually put them over as great talent on the air. They also got to see women\'s wrestling that looked like women\'s wrestling with Awesome Kong/Hamada vs. Taylor Wilde/Sarita, as opposed to \"Diva\'s wrestling\" that all too often looks like something that should be kept in the back room of a strip bar. They also got to see Samoa Joe-Abyss and that submission can mean something in wrestling (and that all wrestlers don\'t have to look like rejects from a Wellness test failure list). Jeff Hardy coming out from the crowd was a major surprise, but wasn\'t given the importance by Tenay and Taz it should have been. I love Ric Flair, and Hogan may be the big name of the moment, but Jeff Hardy put more asses in seats than either of them in 2009. Then again, after his indictment for drug possession a day later that might have been just as well; which begs the question why he was put on TV if he wasn\'t going to be used properly, even if for the shock value. The negatives: If you\'re going to try to be the new trendy promotion that\'s the choice on Monday night, don\'t bleep the \"Bullshit\" chants of fans when you give them a screw-job DQ finish in the Steel Asylum match, and bleep \"holy shit\" chants when they liked something you do. Then, there\'s an old fashioned AWA style crowd shot (wonder where the guy in the lumberjack shirt ever went) after ODB pulled Tara\'s trunks, a real-life camera shot that was no worse than on every city park and beach each and every summer. Also...if Hulk Hogan was in the buiilding all day...how did he gets a police esort into the building to build the first hour of the show, so fans wouldn\'t flip to USA Network to watch Bret Hart. All of these sounded and looked ridiculously juvenile...and makes them stand out all the more. If you aren\'t willing to deal with the things that happen with having a live wrestling show...then stay pre-taped. Then, there was the moment that most of us never thought we\'d see...Bret Hart, Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels in the same WWE ring. Yes, Bret Hart looked older...12 plus years, a stroke, and a major concussion later. Yes, WWE had to remix that classic entrance music. But coming out it was still Bret Hart coming into a WWF/E ring. Hart and Shawn Michaels had their face-to-face, with and Bret calling for a truce. Michaels reponded by saying that Hart \"deserved what happened in Montreal for disrespecting him and the business\". But he also said \"there?s a big part of him that doesn?t regret any of that, but that another part of him knows in 12 years a lot of things have changed.\" Michaels then said \"he always respected Bret but he felt that Bret didn?t respect him\", but prefers to think of Bret and their Iron man match in Anaheim, rather than Montreal. Michaels offere to move on and bury the hatchet, with Hart offering his hand in friendship. At the end of the show, Vince McMahon came out with Hart in the ring, and (storyline?) feigned that since Hart and Michaels put Montreal behind them, he would. McMahon said that he still does believe that \"Bret screwed Bret\" and indicated that he hadn?t forgotten the things Bret has done. Hart responded that he \"looking for closure\". He said he got to make peace with Shawn Michaels. McMahon then talked about Hart\'s career; said he felt like Hart\'s father figure (Manson family father figure might be more like it), and then said he\'d nominate Stu Hart for the WWE Hall of Fame (reportedly part of the legit deal for Bret Hart to come back) this year. Vince thanked Bret for being \"the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be\". They shook hands and Vince raised Bret?s hand and walked around the ring; until McMahon turned on Hart, kicked him in the gut and walked up the ramp while glaring at Hart to end the show. So it looks like (for the moment) that WWE is going with Hart vs. McMahon as the program rather than Hart vs. Michaels. Vince McMahon might also realize that there\'s no way that Hart and Michaels can re-create the magic they once had, between Montreal, and Hart\'s physical limitations. I\'d almost be sure that there\'s no way in hell that Bret Hart can or should do more that a Street Fight with McMahon, even if that much. . It might be safer if there\'s a program ending at Wrestlemania where McMahon is manager for say, Legacy...and Hart is manager for the Hart Dynasty. We\'ll find out tonight or whenevver Hart is next scheduled to appear. With all of that, this week\'s Wrestling Observer reported that a really moving scene happened after the cameras with most of the babyfaces, with the notably exceptions of HHH and Shawn Michaels, came out to honor Bret Hart (as well as The Hart Dynasty, Jack Swagger, Chris Jericho and Mark Henry (who most don\'t realize had gotten training from Bret Hart). A fan actually came out post-show, when Hart was doing autographs, with a Calgary Hitmen jersey that had been autographed by Owen Hart which had Hart understandably almost go to pieces. Dave Meltzer reported that there were cameras rolling for this, and that it might wind up on a Hart Family DVD. Let\'s hope so, because a moment like that deserves to be seen. Another much sadder moment occurred recently as \"Dr. Death\" Steve WiIlliams died after a long fight with throat cancer. Williams last appeared publily at the K&S Wrestlefest Wrestling Convention up in Carteret, NJ on December 12. More than a few people; including at least one who knew Williams personally, came up to me at CZW\'s Cage of Death and at other indy shows after that date telling me how shocked they were at how badly Williams looked. More on him next week, but one thing\'s for sure...he\'s in a better place, and the Miracle Violence Combination is back together again. Rest in peace, Dr. Death. Until next time... If you have comments/questions/event announcements/results, if you\'d like to add the AS I SEE IT column to your website, or if you\'d like to add advertising on PWBTS.com (the flagship website of this column), e-mail me at the address above. Advertising consists of banner ads, available for $400 for one year. These ads would appear on each newspage appearing on the newsboard. Cube ads are also available for $200 for one year, which would be placed on the main newsboard page.
Calling it a \"Monday Night War\" is pushing it...as of yet... but at the very least, people had a choice. From various ratings analysis, both WWE and TNA got fans in desirable demographics that haven\'t been watching wrestling in some time.
The positives: New fans got to see AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle in their usual tremendous match....and Hogan actually put them over as great talent on the air. They also got to see women\'s wrestling that looked like women\'s wrestling with Awesome Kong/Hamada vs. Taylor Wilde/Sarita, as opposed to \"Diva\'s wrestling\" that all too often looks like something that should be kept in the back room of a strip bar. They also got to see Samoa Joe-Abyss and that submission can mean something in wrestling (and that all wrestlers don\'t have to look like rejects from a Wellness test failure list).
Jeff Hardy coming out from the crowd was a major surprise, but wasn\'t given the importance by Tenay and Taz it should have been. I love Ric Flair, and Hogan may be the big name of the moment, but Jeff Hardy put more asses in seats than either of them in 2009. Then again, after his indictment for drug possession a day later that might have been just as well; which begs the question why he was put on TV if he wasn\'t going to be used properly, even if for the shock value.
The negatives: If you\'re going to try to be the new trendy promotion that\'s the choice on Monday night, don\'t bleep the \"Bullshit\" chants of fans when you give them a screw-job DQ finish in the Steel Asylum match, and bleep \"holy shit\" chants when they liked something you do. Then, there\'s an old fashioned AWA style crowd shot (wonder where the guy in the lumberjack shirt ever went) after ODB pulled Tara\'s trunks, a real-life camera shot that was no worse than on every city park and beach each and every summer. Also...if Hulk Hogan was in the buiilding all day...how did he gets a police esort into the building to build the first hour of the show, so fans wouldn\'t flip to USA Network to watch Bret Hart. All of these sounded and looked ridiculously juvenile...and makes them stand out all the more. If you aren\'t willing to deal with the things that happen with having a live wrestling show...then stay pre-taped.
Then, there was the moment that most of us never thought we\'d see...Bret Hart, Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels in the same WWE ring.
Yes, Bret Hart looked older...12 plus years, a stroke, and a major concussion later. Yes, WWE had to remix that classic entrance music. But coming out it was still Bret Hart coming into a WWF/E ring.
Hart and Shawn Michaels had their face-to-face, with and Bret calling for a truce. Michaels reponded by saying that Hart \"deserved what happened in Montreal for disrespecting him and the business\". But he also said \"there?s a big part of him that doesn?t regret any of that, but that another part of him knows in 12 years a lot of things have changed.\" Michaels then said \"he always respected Bret but he felt that Bret didn?t respect him\", but prefers to think of Bret and their Iron man match in Anaheim, rather than Montreal. Michaels offere to move on and bury the hatchet, with Hart offering his hand in friendship.
At the end of the show, Vince McMahon came out with Hart in the ring, and (storyline?) feigned that since Hart and Michaels put Montreal behind them, he would. McMahon said that he still does believe that \"Bret screwed Bret\" and indicated that he hadn?t forgotten the things Bret has done. Hart responded that he \"looking for closure\". He said he got to make peace with Shawn Michaels. McMahon then talked about Hart\'s career; said he felt like Hart\'s father figure (Manson family father figure might be more like it), and then said he\'d nominate Stu Hart for the WWE Hall of Fame (reportedly part of the legit deal for Bret Hart to come back) this year. Vince thanked Bret for being \"the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be\". They shook hands and Vince raised Bret?s hand and walked around the ring; until McMahon turned on Hart, kicked him in the gut and walked up the ramp while glaring at Hart to end the show.
So it looks like (for the moment) that WWE is going with Hart vs. McMahon as the program rather than Hart vs. Michaels. Vince McMahon might also realize that there\'s no way that Hart and Michaels can re-create the magic they once had, between Montreal, and Hart\'s physical limitations. I\'d almost be sure that there\'s no way in hell that Bret Hart can or should do more that a Street Fight with McMahon, even if that much. . It might be safer if there\'s a program ending at Wrestlemania where McMahon is manager for say, Legacy...and Hart is manager for the Hart Dynasty. We\'ll find out tonight or whenevver Hart is next scheduled to appear.
With all of that, this week\'s Wrestling Observer reported that a really moving scene happened after the cameras with most of the babyfaces, with the notably exceptions of HHH and Shawn Michaels, came out to honor Bret Hart (as well as The Hart Dynasty, Jack Swagger, Chris Jericho and Mark Henry (who most don\'t realize had gotten training from Bret Hart). A fan actually came out post-show, when Hart was doing autographs, with a Calgary Hitmen jersey that had been autographed by Owen Hart which had Hart understandably almost go to pieces. Dave Meltzer reported that there were cameras rolling for this, and that it might wind up on a Hart Family DVD. Let\'s hope so, because a moment like that deserves to be seen.
Another much sadder moment occurred recently as \"Dr. Death\" Steve WiIlliams died after a long fight with throat cancer. Williams last appeared publily at the K&S Wrestlefest Wrestling Convention up in Carteret, NJ on December 12. More than a few people; including at least one who knew Williams personally, came up to me at CZW\'s Cage of Death and at other indy shows after that date telling me how shocked they were at how badly Williams looked.
More on him next week, but one thing\'s for sure...he\'s in a better place, and the Miracle Violence Combination is back together again. Rest in peace, Dr. Death.
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